Diagnosis and management of three optic neuropathies: a national survey

Abstract

Background We aimed to evaluate the current practice patterns of neuro-ophthalmologists in diagnosis and management of three optic neuropathies using a national survey in South Korea and to further compare the practices of neuro-ophthalmologists divided into junior and senior groups based on their clinical practice experience.

Methods An anonymous, 15-question survey on the diagnosis and treatment of traumatic optic neuropathy (TON), nonarteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy (NAION), and Leber’s hereditary optic neuropathy (LHON) was sent to all neuro-ophthalmologists registered with the Korean Neuro-ophthalmology Society. The questions addressed physician’s practice duration as neuro-ophthalmologist, choices of MRI scans and laboratory tests for the diagnosis in suspected optic neuropathy, clinical experiences with steroids (e.g., side effects), and choices of treatment modalities and reason in in each optic neuropathy. All participants were classified into senior (≥ 10 years) and junior (< 10 years) groups.

Results A total of 63 responders (response rate 78.8%) answered the questionnaire. All responders performed the basic blood tests and brain imaging for evaluating optic neuropathy. Observation was the most preferred option for TON (47.6%) and NAION (63.5%). Steroid use was the second most preferred, and the most selected indication of steroid was “when the patient wants” (58.7%) for TON and “severe visual loss or last eye” (66%) for NAION. The most preferred treatment for LHON was “prescribing idebenone” (69.7%) with a dose of 900 mg/day (63.8%). Forty-nine respondents (77.8%) experienced side effects of steroids. There was no significant difference between the senior and junior groups in all questionnaire answers (all p > 0.05).

Conclusion Optic neuropathies are being managed similarly by the two groups in South Korea, and many of them still use steroids. We provided reliable reasons for our results compared with other countries.